For the first time in her life, Elsa felt like she belonged.

Carefree laughter escaped her lips as she rode on the Nokk back from Ahtohallan.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of the wind in her long, white hair as it flew behind her. For as long as she could remember, Elsa wondered why she was born in the first place. Why she was cursed with her ever growing ice powers.

Don't get her wrong, she still loved Arendelle.

She loved her family.

But she never felt like she belonged. Elsa was always different for as long as she could remember. She would often gaze at the stars, imploring desperately to the heavens. She would beg any god that would listen to take away her accursed powers. To make her normal.

Her prayers were never answered.

Until three years ago, Elsa found her powers difficult to control.

The rock trolls warned her that fear would be her greatest enemy. Grand Pabbie was correct, she mused. Elsa feared her powers ever since she accidentally struck her younger sister Anna on the head. The trauma of hurting her precious sister plagued Elsa ever since.

It was why she kept up the estrangement their parents enforced.

Even after they died.

Elsa winced as she thought about her parents. She depended greatly upon their love and support as she grew. It didn't help that she grew up isolated in her chambers, trying in vain to control her powers. Her parents did everything they could to help her.

But all of their efforts failed.

It hurt Elsa whenever Anna knocked upon her door, wanting her to come out and play.

For her safety, Elsa would push her away. Elsa was far too afraid of hurting Anna again and she didn't want to take any chances. Eventually, Anna gave up and stopped knocking on her bedroom door.

The news of their parents' demise came as a great shock.

But Elsa was too afraid of exposure to bury them.

Losing her parents was a blow that Elsa never fully recovered from. At least as she remained locked in her chambers, she could rely on her parents to try and help her learn control. They knew about her secret. She didn't have to worry about exposure.

But she begged them not to touch her.

She didn't want to repeat her past mistakes with Anna.

Eventually, Elsa's powers were revealed after she received a crown that she never wanted in the first place. She accidentally locked Arendelle in an eternal winter. At her new icy palace, Elsa's worst fears were realized after she accidentally froze Anna's heart.

Elsa winced.

Creating Marshmallow to chase out Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven was a stupid idea.

In hindsight, Elsa should have known that she risked further harm to her sister by setting a giant snow monster upon her. Later, it would fall to Anna to save her from Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Elsa shuddered. It still hurt, thinking about Anna's frozen form saving her from Hans' killing blow. It fell to Anna to save her, to demonstrate what she needed to free Arendelle from her (unwitting) curse and to control her powers:

Love.

For a while, all was well for three years.

Then she heard a voice that no one else could. Elsa didn't want to worry her sister as she felt that Anna suffered too much because of her already. Elsa tried to resist the urge to follow the voice. She wanted to remain in Arendelle, to be with her friends and remaining family. Even though Elsa was the reluctant queen of Arendelle, sometimes, there was a comfort in staying in a familiar setting.

Then, she was unable to resist.

But her use of her powers awoke the elemental spirits of the Enchanted Forest.

Gale chased the citizens of Arendelle from their home. She would later learn it was for their safety. She had a feeling the elemental spirits knew the dam would eventually be broken. At first, Elsa wanted to go alone. She didn't want to put Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven in danger. Especially Anna. But Anna wouldn't hear of it.

"You are not going alone."

"Anna no, I have my powers to protect me. You don't."

"Excuse me, I've climbed the North Mountain, survived a frozen heart and saved you from my ex-boyfriend. And I did it all without powers. So, you know, I'm coming."

Elsa feared for Anna's safety the entire journey.

But the moment she entered the Enchanted Forest after parting the mist, she felt...

...like she was home.

Elsa was struck by the ancient, natural beauty of the Enchanted Forest.

Pardon the pun, but she was enchanted by her surroundings.

Of course, trouble seemed to follow them like a lovesick puppy. Olaf was being chased by Gale, the first of the unstable Elemental spirits. Elsa used her powers to tame her. But she also witnessed moments of the past. There was no time to process what she was seeing.

Or what the frozen images she created actually meant.

They were then attacked by aged Arendellian guards and the Northuldra.

They would have attacked Elsa and the rest of their little gang if it wasn't for her powers. After Olaf's awkward, cringeworthy storytelling moment, they were attacked by the next element:

Fire.

Recklessly, Anna tried to charge into the flames to help her.

It was all Elsa could do to put out the fire. But Anna had nothing to protect her, so desperate was she to help her sister. Thankfully, Kristoff whisked her away on Sven.

But Anna kept calling after her.

Eventually, Elsa was able to tame the little fire lizard, Bruni.

Then, Anna ran up to her and hugged her, grateful that she was still alive. But all Elsa could feel at that moment was fear and anger. She couldn't believe that Anna was so careless with her life and safety.

"Elsa! Oh, thank goodness!"

"Anna."

"Are you okay?"

"What were you doing, you could have been killed. You can't just follow me into fire!"

"You don't want me to follow you into fire, then don't run into fire. You're...not being careful, Elsa."

It was then that Elsa realized the depths that Anna would go to protect her.

Elsa would never forget the scary images of her sister becoming a frozen statue. Of accidentally freezing her heart and striking her in the head when they were children. Of Anna falling to the ground, coughing and wheezing as the smoke from the flames threatened to overwhelm her in her zeal to protect her sister.

So, Elsa made the fateful decision to send Anna and Olaf away on a canoe after they learned the truth about their parents' shipwreck and why they went on that ill-fated journey in the first place.

She barely made it on the Dark Sea to Ahtohallan and she had powers.

As much as she loved and cared for Anna and Olaf, they would have been liabilities. They would only have gotten in the way. Besides, as selfish as it sounded, this always felt like a journey that Elsa had to make alone. Her feelings were affirmed when she tamed the Nokk spirit and rode the now frozen horse to Ahtohallan.

She would learn the voice she was hearing came from Iduna, her mother.

Elsa would also learn that SHE was the Fifth Spirit.

She was the bridge between humanity and nature. Elsa knew it was foolish of her to venture too deep into Ahtohallan to search for answers to the past. She paid for her hubris.

Elsa shuddered.

She remained all too well what it was like being a frozen statue.

Thankfully, Anna tamed the earth giants with the help of Kristoff, Sven and the Arendellian guards. Elsa became unfrozen and was able to save Arendelle from the rushing waters after the dam was destroyed. Elsa knew then what she had to do.

What her destiny was.

She knew she never belonged in Arendelle.

Elsa felt further removed from her place of birth. She felt more at home with the elemental spirits, the Northuldra and the Enchanted Forest. Elsa finally felt like she found her place in the world, the reason she was born.

So, she gladly abdicated the throne.

She knew that Arendelle would be in good hands, thanks to Anna.

Elsa was confident that her sister would make an excellent queen. She would return once a week to play Charades, to keep up with the rest of the gang. For once in her life, Elsa felt like she was happy. That she finally had a home that she could call her own.

Gale whistled by, reminding her that it was time for her weekly visit.

Elsa felt anticipation flow through her veins.

She gently guided the Nokk in the direction of Arendelle. When she reached the palace, she felt confused when only Kristoff, Olaf and Sven were there to greet her.

"Where's Anna?" Elsa asked.

"She's in her chambers." Kristoff said. There was an odd look on his face that she couldn't interpret. He opened his mouth to say more, but Elsa was already moving on.

Elsa entered the palace and headed for her sister's room.

Then she knocked on the door. "Anna? Ready for charades?"